I rooted a cutting of Pink Beauty Angle's Trumpet (Brugmansia) in a zip loc sandwich. lol lol
Here is a view from the top of the bag
I'm A Bag Lady ......
Here is a close-up
And a picture through the bag
You have to look real close to see the roots, two sets of them on the left, one you can see through the bag just a little and the other is long and straight up but you can see it's shadow on the pink ribbon.
It has been laying on the kitchen counter for 5 days now. Sandwich bags don't hold a seal very well so every other day I had to blow it back up so they were getting a constant supply of carbon dioxide. When I first cut the stem I sprayed it with Super Thrive Water, but poured off the accumulated water the next day. At first I was expecting it to rot, but then pow, it started to sprout.
Judy
This message was edited Nov 8, 2006 3:35 PM
Judy,
That is really cool! Is that mold on the roots? Will that hurt anything? I may try this wioth some hard to root ones... I have some green ones that are giving me fits...
I keep Wandering Jew cuttings in a blown up plastic zip loc all winter, they form roots, then in the Spring I toss them into the flower beds and lightly cover with potting soil. They make an interesting ground cover.
I trim my philodendron, chop the cuttings into 4 inch pieces, tie several together in a bundle, put them in a 2 gallon zip loc bag with soil in the bottom. I use plastic containers to stabilize the bottom of the bag or I put all the bags in a short box so they can be picked up without disturbing the rooting process. I have also just tossed the trimmings in the bag.
I bag up my ferns to winter over inside in a bright light but not direct sunlight location.
I am in the process of bagging up cuttings of other plants to keep them from drying out from the house heat.
It is necessary to check the bags once a week to insure they are still inflated:
1) On the zip loc bags, every two weeks or so I re-inflate the bags to give them a fresh dose of exhaled air which contains their much needed carbon dioxide.
2) On the tied clear trash bags containing my ferns, I just open the bags every month or so to allow air circulation, then retie.
Why the bags, retains the moisture therefore less watering required by me, keeps the leaves from drying out from the house heat, I don’t have to cut back the plants by a 3rd when I bring them in and makes a neat package, all dying leaves remain within the bag instead of all over my house.
I keep a close watch on them and if there is excess moisture I either poured it out or left the bag open for awhile. If in indirect light the condensation is less.
I was bagging up my ferns when I got the idea to try rooting a Brug cutting in a zip loc.
Judy
PS The little electric cart is wonderful
This message was edited Nov 8, 2006 3:55 PM
The thing that looks like "mold" is the fine hair on the roots
Here is a closer look
Way to go, Judy!! How did we ever manage without ziplocs?? I love your little cart, too.
Sharon
I love the pink ribbon on Pink Beauty. Nice idea for rooting...I'll have to give this a try.
What a neat idea Judy. My house is very dry in the winter with the woodstove so I'll have to give this a try.
i Use Zip loc Bags for starting seeds ill tell you how i blow up the bags i use a straw its a lot eaiser Regards Paul
Paul, thanks for the great tip on using the straw!!!
Judy
Major Question ? ? ?
So carbon dioxide helps the rooting process ?
I know during the day plant suck in carbon dioxide and put off oxygen and at night they put out carbon dioxide and suck in oxygen .
Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air , I should put the plants I want to root under the ones that get light and cover with shade cloth ?
Does anyone know if that would effect my Dahlia [ tubers ] stored there now ?
Tony,
Sorry, I'd be in over my head if I even started to think about your questions. I didn't even know plants used oxygen at night.
Judy .
This message was edited Nov 8, 2006 7:56 PM
great idea i have my cuttings in bubbler get any more i will try that to..
Re Wandering Jew: Does rooting it through the winter make it come back faster in the spring?? Great Idea and I will be trying it, assuming I get to anything before we have a hard freeze.
phicks - the straw works GREAT!!! Thanks so much for that tip.
Sherry - re Wandering Jew, that is just the method I use to winter-over the Jew. I pull it up by the handsfull out of the flower bed and it goes straight into the zip locs That way I'm sure to have it for the Spring.
Judy
Hope43
Good to see you posting.
Judy
Kell has always liked the bags too, Judy, but, I'm not good at keeping them blown up. I've never lost my Jew, but I will try the bags, yet again. Thanks so much!!
Sherry use the straw to blow them up, it makes it so much easier. Some jews will winter-over here outside if we don't have a bad winter, but if it's bad it all dies. This last freeze of ours a few days ago froze all the leaves on what I had left in the flower beds. I don't know if it got the roots or not.
Judy
I have antique Wandering Jew, Judy - if yours doesn't make it, I will send you some. I have a couple of new ones, I had no idea there are 150 different kinds. I like the common one, purple, spiky, with kinky stems, with the small pink flower. I'd love a whole bed, but mine always grows in clumps...happy Friday!!!
Sherry,
Is this the one you are talking about?
Yes. That's my antique one, I received mine from my folks, who received it from their folks. In all those years, in Arky, MS, LA, it has survived. I always love seeing it when I go to the home places...
Sherry,
As you can see it took over this raised bed.. not in clumps. I planted it, pulled the runners out full length, then spread potting soil over them, they took root and covered the entire bed.
Judy
I'm going to try that, thanks!!!
I call that Spike. It survives our winters here.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1160/index.html Here is a link to the PlantFile for the one I have called Purple Heart, etc. etc.etc.
That's my original and I have two more - one with fuzzy, gray/blue leafs, with bright lavender flowers with yellow enters, blooming now, and another that is purple or burgundy with lime green stripes. If I get back early from my mulch run, I'll photo those two. Some say that Purple Heart is invasive, but it is not here, I find it very easy to grow and train.
Judy I wasn't saying you were wrong in the name of it. I was only stating that I know it as Spike. I buy it at Walmart and that is the name I see on it there. It is the same as the picture above. l did a search on Spike and found information that a lot of plants are called spike when the name isn't known. Sounds like Walmart might be quilty.
I just didn't know if we were talking about the same plant, therefore I posted the link. No offense taken here I assure you.
Judy
A Brug cutting was sent to me 11/7 wrapped in a wet paper towel, then plastic wrap, then bubble wrap and put in a brown envelope. Arrived 11/9 I immediately put it in water with a little Dyna-Gro K-L-N Rooting Concentrate and put in on the kitchen table very indirect sunlight, wrap-around porches.
Today 11/12 I have tiny white nubbies.
Please tell me your success stories so we can compare notes!!
Judy